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Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

&nbsp; Kennedy Alfson of Canton was a 3-year-old girl who wanted to do all the things the big kids did as the youngest of four children.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed girl liked to follow her three older siblings around, and the children were inseparable, one family friend said.

Alfson died Wednesday at the Canton-Inwood Hospital after the pickup she was in rolled just north of Canton.

Kennedy had unbuckled her seat belt to change the radio station, and as her mother, Stacey Alfson, 31, turned to rebuckle her, the pickup drifted to the right side of road, state Highway Patrol Trooper Steve Schade said. Alfson overcorrected, and the pickup rolled one-and-a-half times, throwing Kennedy and landing on her.

Several people expressed sympathy Thursday for Kennedy's mother, who was driving the pickup and trying to rebuckle Kennedy.

Neighbor Tracey Zylstra, who traded off with Kennedy's mother on taking the kids to school, recalled how the four Alfson children were inseparable.

&quot;Kennedy was just a little doll,&quot; she said. &quot;She was trailing along on her bike, hollering, 'Wait for me!' They'd always cut through my yard, and I would scold them. They would say, 'So-r-r-y-y!' &quot;

Zylstra said she stopped at the Alfson home Thursday morning to bring supplies and offer support.

&quot;Stacey was just a puddle,&quot; she said, noting that Alfson's parents and in-laws also were there for support.

Zylstra can empathize with the Alfsons because she lost her niece, Kellie Harrison, 19, in a traffic accident north of town in 2000. Harrison and her friend, Ashley Joslyn, weren't wearing seat belts and died.

Jim Harrison, who lives across the street from the Alfsons and is Kellie Harrison's father, said the family seemed somber Thursday.

&quot;I just felt sick,&quot; he said. &quot;Things like that, they happen so fast. There is no time to think.&quot;

Harrison said he could envision this situation happening to any parent.

&quot;There's two things kids learn when they are young ... how to get out of the safety seat and how to say things they're not supposed to say,&quot; he said.

Susan Randall, executive director of South Dakota Voices for Children, said the accident is a tragedy.

&quot;My heart goes out to (Stacey Alfson),&quot; she said. &quot;She was obviously trying to do the right thing.&quot;

Zylstra said she was at church Wednesday night when someone mentioned coming across an accident. Church members prayed for those involved.

&quot;You hear sirens and you know where your children are, and you pray it's not someone you know,&quot; she said. &quot;In a small town, you know everybody.&quot;

Attempts to reach Alfson family members Thursday were unsuccessful.

Services for Kennedy Alfson will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Canton United Methodist Church, said Andy McCann, funeral director at Anderson Funeral Home in Canton. Visitation will be 2 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m.

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

Ooohhh... This is one of the saddest stories i have read. Especially because i have a three year old who is always bouncing around in his booster seat. Poor little girl. I feel so bad for her mother, she was just trying to buckle her back in but what i cannot understand was why she didn't just pull to the side of the road to snap the seat belt? Wouldn't that have been safer for all involved? She seems like a good mother considering her older children were all safely snapped into their seats. Seems like such a random and tragic event.

R.I.P. little Kennedy

&quot;People don&#39;t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.&quot;

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=BRiGHT.eYEs22 link=topic=19099.msg1220835#msg1220835 date=1237585418]
Ooohhh... This is one of the saddest stories i have read. Especially because i have a three year old who is always bouncing around in his booster seat. Poor little girl. I feel so bad for her mother, she was just trying to buckle her back in but what i cannot understand was why she didn't just pull to the side of the road to snap the seat belt? Wouldn't that have been safer for all involved? She seems like a good mother considering her older children were all safely snapped into their seats. Seems like such a random and tragic event.

R.I.P. little Kennedy
[/quote]Yeah.&nbsp; I'm torn between crying for Mom and wanting to shake her.&nbsp; Pull over damn it. Have the nine year old help.&nbsp; Something.&nbsp; But bad stuff happens fast.

Originally Posted by bowieluva

lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=puzzld link=topic=19099.msg1220878#msg1220878 date=1237588183]
Yeah.&nbsp; I'm torn between crying for Mom and wanting to shake her.&nbsp; Pull over damn it. Have the nine year old help.&nbsp; Something.&nbsp; But bad stuff happens fast.
[/quote]

Yeah, and this specific kind of situation is like one of my biggest fears. who knows what she may have been thinking at the time but, cant really say unless you were in her shoes. I just know there is no way i would have tried to multi-task in that situation. This is a lapse in judgment her poor mother will have to live with for a very long time.&nbsp; :-(

&quot;People don&#39;t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.&quot;

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=19099.msg1220988#msg1220988 date=1237597185]
Was she in the front seat? I'm confused about the seat belt thing. I can't imagine being able to refasten a seat belt in either the passenger side in front or the back seat while driving.
[/quote]

Didn't the article say they were in a pick up truck? If it was one of those wide ones she might have had all the kids in the front seat, or, she had the youngest in the front seat because she did this kind of thing often? ( Not the rolling over....the unsnapping thing.)

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=AlexaC link=topic=19099.msg1580097#msg1580097 date=1269965048]
Didn't the article say they were in a pick up truck? If it was one of those wide ones she might have had all the kids in the front seat, or, she had the youngest in the front seat because she did this kind of thing often? ( Not the rolling over....the unsnapping thing.)
[/quote]

It does say pickup. About 20 times. Reading comprehension fail for me. But, are there pickups that have 4 seat belts? It either had to be an extended cab kind with a back seat or she didn't have all her kids buckled.

Originally Posted by beli

kim kardashian - made famous for having a sex tape, should die in a fire

Originally Posted by McMama

Have you ever walked into a mall, sat on God's lap, and had your picture taken?

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=19099.msg1580174#msg1580174 date=1269969600]
It does say pickup. About 20 times. Reading comprehension fail for me. But, are there pickups that have 4 seat belts? It either had to be an extended cab kind with a back seat or she didn't have all her kids buckled.
[/quote]

My truck has a supercab, most do these days. Four seats. A full back seat.

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

My truck has a supercab, most do these days. Four seats. A full back seat.
[/quote]

That's what I'm saying. There had to be a back seat. Alexa had said it was a pickup and maybe they were all in the same seat.

Either way there is something wrong with this picture. I can't imagine in my head how you can fasten a seat belt with one hand even if they are sitting right next to you, and if she was in the back where she should have been it's impossible.

Originally Posted by beli

kim kardashian - made famous for having a sex tape, should die in a fire

Originally Posted by McMama

Have you ever walked into a mall, sat on God's lap, and had your picture taken?

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=19099.msg1580257#msg1580257 date=1269972697]
That's what I'm saying. There had to be a back seat. Alexa had said it was a pickup and maybe they were all in the same seat.

Either way there is something wrong with this picture. I can't imagine in my head how you can fasten a seat belt with one hand even if they are sitting right next to you, and if she was in the back where she should have been it's impossible.
[/quote]

My husband's uncle has a Chevy truck of some sort... Silverado, maybe? It has a backseat, and I can reach back and buckle the kids up from where I sit. The backseat is ridiculously close to the front seat, so it's not impossible, and I'm short! I can see how she could have been reaching back trying to buckle her in, but she was obviously leaning over far, which caused her to turn the wheel without being aware...

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=leyash link=topic=19099.msg1580362#msg1580362 date=1269976505]
My husband's uncle has a Chevy truck of some sort... Silverado, maybe? It has a backseat, and I can reach back and buckle the kids up from where I sit. The backseat is ridiculously close to the front seat, so it's not impossible, and I'm short! I can see how she could have been reaching back trying to buckle her in, but she was obviously leaning over far, which caused her to turn the wheel without being aware...
[/quote]

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=19099.msg1580515#msg1580515 date=1269985293]
Three year olds are still in car seats, right? Did it say she was in a car seat?
[/quote]Three year olds *(should* be in car seats, yes. But a lot of parents put them in booster seats which only use the car's belt to hold them in. It's a shame, there are a lot of high weight harnessing seats on the market now and some are very reasonably priced. And it's a small price to pay for your child to be a lot safer for a lot longer.

Re: Kennedy Alfson (3) died after the pickup she was in rolled

[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=19099.msg1580515#msg1580515 date=1269985293]
Three year olds are still in car seats, right? Did it say she was in a car seat?
[/quote]

Yes. And now, they've passed a law (not sure if it's Nationwide, but I know it's a law here in Texas), that kids have to be in a booster seat until they are 80 pounds. It used to just be 8 years old. Can I tell you how pissed off my 8 year old (who weighs about 60 pounds) was when I told him he had to be in a booster seat for another 20 pounds? :lol: But, it's safer. -shrug-

My 2 and 3 year olds are both in 5 point harness carseats, and they will be until they are 5, or 50 pounds, whichever comes first.